Sometimes small dogs can take on and beat big dogs (free myspace layouts)
You might think large professional services firms always do things better than independent providers, but that isn’t true, says Andrew Sobel. In fact, large firms can learn a thing or two from successful small practitioners.
Sobel, a consultant who has experience with both large global firms and small practitioners, describes in his article, Where Independent Professionals Succeed and Large Firms Fail, eight practices that large firms can “learn—or relearn—from the most successful professionals who have small or solo practices.” One practice that stands out is that of building a sustainable practice by building your personal brand.
With a large firm, “the firm brand gets you in the door and into the competitive bids, but the personal brand gets you sole-sourced business,” Sobel says.
Practitioners can build their brand by sharing their expertise via articles, presentations, and blogs. Use those mediums to build relationships with prospects and clients. Step back from simply describing your services and instead give prospects information that will help them.
Ian Brodie has taken that approach to heart and has ditched his traditional website for a blog site. In his podcast interview with RainToday publisher Mike Schultz—Is the Traditional Website Dead?—Brodie explains how he uses the blog site to share his expertise and show people what it’s like to work with him. By developing relationships with prospects before they’re ready to buy, chances are they’ll turn to you when they are ready to make a purchase.
Another way to build a sustainable practice is to get referrals from clients. Referrals are more accessible, and there’s less competition to close the deal. But you don’t want just any referral; you want quality referrals. As Kendra Lee points out in her article, How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline with High-Quality Referrals, to get quality referrals that lead to new business you must guide your clients and help them understand who your ideal client is.
Firms can also increase their revenue by taking advantage of less-than-obvious marketing opportunities. Have you ever thought about what prospects and clients hear when they’re on hold waiting for you or someone else in your firm? Rather than listening to music or dead air, Michael Weiner suggests filling the space with information about your firm and services. In Increase Revenue with ‘On-Hold’ Marketing Messages, Weiner says “on-hold” marketing messages add value, inform callers, and could lead to more sales.
Another marketing avenue that many firms are still evaluating is Twitter. Is it really worth your effort, you might ask? For many B2B marketers, the answer is a resounding yes. This week’s chart, How Twitter Tactics Work for B2B Marketers, shows B2B markets are finding success using Twitter to monitor their brand, invite prospects to in-person events, and drive traffic to websites and blogs. If you’ve been holding back on using this tool, you might want to reconsider.
